Liberal Democrat IT Online Policy Consultation

2010 Consultation Paper

This consultation paper is presented as the first stage in the development of new Party policy on information technology and intellectual property. It does not represent agreed Party policy. It is designed to stimulate debate and discussion within the Party and outside; based on the response generated and on the deliberations of the working group a full policy paper will be drawn up and presented to Conference for debate.

The paper has been drawn up by Dr Julian Huppert MP who has been appointed by Federal Policy Committee to be chair of the working group on Information Technology and Intellectual Property.

2 Responses to “2010 Consultation Paper”

As someone living outside the UK, but as a UK citizen I have to say I find the latest reports of your coalition abandoning yet another lib dem policy saddening.

You do realize that it is entirely possible several websites which exist today would not have been possible based on a two-tier system. For example Youtube. Probably even Wikipedia, which is entirely run on donations, and it is possible that we will only see content that ISP’s allow us to see.

I also take it that you consider the words of Vint Cerf and our own great Sir Tim Berners Lee to be mute. Being the fathers of the modern day Internet I guess does not qualify you versus big business these days.

The Internet is one of the world greatest levelers here in Uganda people have little money, but they do have access to information if they can afford it, and I have with my own eyes seen how this has changed and improved the lives of thousands.

By ending net neutrality you also end up probably with these people not being able to see 1st class content and only 3rd! Is this really a Liberal Democrat principle? I get that times are tough and money has to be found, last time I checked Telco’s were not doing to badly, and with the round of 4G licensing about to happen neither will the gov.

Please, please please shelf this. If the US can stand up to this why can’t we?

Current Lib Dem Policy is clear on this – I proposed an emergency motion on these issues in the spring, which says:

‘Conference supports … the principle of net neutrality, through which all content, sites and platforms are treated equally by user access networks participating in the Internet’

While the IT Policy Group hasn’t reported yet, so I can’t comment on exactly what it will say, I’m personally opposed to loss of net neutrality and signed a recent Early Day Motion to in the House of Comments to this effect:

INTERNET NEUTRALITY PRINCIPLE17.11.2010

That this House expresses its concern at the recent comments made by the Minister for Communications and Creative Industries that internet service providers should be allowed to abandon the principle of internet neutrality and prioritise users’ access to certain content providers; notes that Open Internet has delivered competition, innovation and unlimited access to new services; further notes that Open Internet has played a pivotal role in enhancing democratic participation and freedom of expression; believes that abandoning the principle of internet neutrality will stifle online innovation and lead to websites paying internet service providers to ensure their content gets priority; does not believe that mere transparency is likely to lead to protection of customers and citizens from harm, especially as ISPs seeks to lock their customers into long-term bundled service agreements with telephones, televisions, mobile telephones and internet; and calls on the Government to act against internet service providers who may seek to restrict customers’ internet access for market advantage through minimum service guarantees.